


Humanity

by hojjangg



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: College Roommates, Demon Changkyun, Halloween, M/M, could be interpreted as shippy or non shippy, kinda angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24084349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hojjangg/pseuds/hojjangg
Summary: In the next moment, Hoseok caught a glimpse of Kyun's real eyes, as they flashed a brilliant, striking shade of red. He didn't even have a chance to comment on it though, as his demon room mate cursed and stumbled back."Shit, we're in trouble."
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M/Lee Hoseok | Wonho
Kudos: 45





	Humanity

“So, sun for vampires, silver for werewolves...what is it for you?” 

Changkyun blinked from his spot in the middle of the bed, “I beg your pardon?” 

Standing at the door to his dorm, Jooheon laughed. “I’ve never met someone who would choose to study on halloween, therefore you can’t be human.” 

Changkyun’s room mate, a broad taekwondo athlete named Hoseok, let out an inaudible breath. 

“Oh, right,” Changkyun looked down at the piles of books and paper surrounding him. “I uh, I have a lot to do. Halloween isn’t really my thing, anyway.” 

Jooheon rose an eyebrow, “Are you sure?” 

Changkyun looked quite happy sitting in his spot, “Yep. You guys have fun without me.” 

It took another moment, but eventually Jooheon left, wishing him well for his boring night of studying. Hoseok had already warded off his own friends on the premise of having a headache, so finally they both had the night to themselves. 

“I thought he’d got it for a second,” Hoseok admitted, stretching out on his bed, adjacent to Changkyun’s. 

“Me too,” Changkyun admitted, flipping through the pages of his textbook. “I’m glad I have a good poker face.” He then added, as an afterthought, “I should try playing it one day.” 

“Are you actually studying?”

Shrugging, Changkyun closed one of the books, “Not really, all the words are just blurring together by this point.” 

Hoseok sighed, “You’re not going to get through finals season if you keep this up.”

Changkyun grinned a devilish smile as he focused his best gaze on his room mate, “Watch me.” 

In the next moment, a pillow came flying at him. “What did I say about the hellfire thing?” 

“Sorry,” Changkyun chuckled, as he caught the pillow. “Couldn’t help myself. Besides, you’re the only one I can use it on.” 

“Without people screaming at you? Most likely,” Hoseok responded, now scrolling through his phone with a bored expression. Changkyun couldn’t believe this human was so comfortable around him, to the point where seeing literal fire burning in his eyes had next to no effect.

Hoseok sometimes wondered what it would be like to have his own reality show. He could see the title already; ‘My roommate the demon boy’. He didn’t think Changkyun would appreciate it. 

He was about to go back to scrolling through his phone, when something caught his eye from outside. 

Curious, Hoseok jumped off the bed and wandered to the window. Outside, he could see the lawn in front of their dorm, a few neighboring buildings, and then in the distance...a weird orange glow. 

"Hey Kyunnie," he said over his shoulder. "What do you reckon that is?" 

"Hm?" Changkyun glanced up, before his eyebrows creased. He was silent as he stood from his own bed and slowly walked over, a calculating expression on his face. 

"It can't be…" Kyun murmured as he joined Hoseok at the window. "Surely…" 

"What?" Hoseok asked, turning to him. "I didn't think there were any festivals or anything in our city this year."

"No…" Kyun was still staring at the light with an intense expression. "It's not that." 

And in the next moment, Hoseok caught a glimpse of Kyun's real eyes, as they flashed a brilliant, striking shade of red. He didn't even have a chance to comment on it though, as his demon room mate cursed and stumbled back.

"Shit, we're in trouble." 

"What?" Hoseok asked again, growing worried at Kyun's reaction. Anything that scared an actual demon was bound to be bad news. Changkyun ignored him, suddenly going to his closet and throwing things out onto the floor. 

"Kyun, what's going on?" He demanded, moving over and trying to dodge the hoodies that came flying at his head. 

"Not good, very bad. Very, very bad," he muttered as he searched through his things. 

"What do you mean?!"

"I mean," Kyun finally stopped and turned, and Hoseok could see the red irises were still there, burning with all the intensity of the realm he came from. "That my father has finally decided to end us all." 

* * *

“I don’t understand!” Hoseok stressed as he followed Kyun down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “It’s just a glow! How does that mean-” 

“Shh!” Changkyun had whirled on him, slapping his hand over the man’s mouth as Hoseok struggled to keep his balance. “Not here.” 

Hoseok snapped his mouth shut. "Right. Sorry," he whispered. 

With that, Changkyun took off again, and Hoseok scrambled to follow. He felt a little silly for being so careless outside their dorm room - if anyone found out what Changkyun actually was, then...well, he didn't want to amuse that thought. 

As they dashed through the hallway, they almost ran straight into Minhyuk and Hyungwon as they were leaving their room. 

"Hey guys," Hyungwon waved as they approached, but Kyun just apologised as he dashed past. 

"Sorry!" Hoseok said as he followed, "On a mission, see you later!" 

"Nice contacts, Kyun!" Minhyuk called after them. 

When they made it to the communal kitchen, Changkyun swung around the corner, "Find the salt," he instructed quietly, "I'll explain everything when we get back." 

As Hoseok scrambled through the cupboards for the salt shaker, Changkyun went straight for the drawers and pulled out a knife. 

"Please don't tell me you expect to fend off a demon king with just a steak knife," Hoseok whispered, his expression a sad twist of disbelief and hopeless. 

"No, you walnut," Kyun retorted, "and what did I say? Shut up!" 

"Sorry." He grabbed the salt and they bolted for the stairs. 

* * *

Ever since Hoseok had found out that Changkyun wasn’t human, he’d had a basic idea of the story. His father, one of the nine princes of hell, had banished him from the realm several years ago, to wander on earth for eternity. Back then, Changkyun had been determined to get back, building up his power, until he was strong enough to return home on his own. Eventually, though...he’d decided that he liked earth better. He’d managed to keep it a secret his whole life, until this smiley, inquisitive boy moved into the dorm. 

Honestly, Changkyun still couldn’t figure out just how Hoseok had done it, but the man had been a great friend to him in the last couple years. Maybe it was okay just for one person to know. 

“My father loves destruction, that’s no secret,” Changkyun explained when they reached their room again. “He goes from realm to realm, turning things to dust. Him and Asmodeous seem to have some competition going on.” Kyun began kicking his belongings away from where he’d thrown them earlier, clearing space on the floor. “That haze over there isn’t a coincidence - it’s his signature. He’s coming here next, on the one night where it wouldn’t be questioned, which means we’re screwed if we don’t work fast.”

“And what exactly are we going to do?” Hoseok asked, uncertainty lacing his voice as he watched the demon boy kick hoodies under the bed. 

“I don’t have enough power to summon him here from hell,” Changkyun explained, moving to pick up whatever item he’d fished out of the closest earlier. “But if he’s on his way - which he would be - I should be able to summon him from whatever other realm he’s in.” 

“And then?” 

“Then…” Changkyun shrugged, “We bargain.” 

Hoseok raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, “Oh my goodness.”

“Right,” Changkyun clapped his hands together as he looked around himself. “I need salt, blood, the amulet...and vodka.” 

“You need vodka to summon your father?” Hoseok raised an eyebrow. 

“No, I need it for me,” Kyun answered, taking the salt and pouring it out on the carpet in a strange shape. “That way I’ll feel better about tearing a hole between realms.” 

* * *

Despite Changkyun’s use of ‘we’ in his sentence earlier, he was incredibly adamant on Hoseok not being a part of the exchange. He’d tried to stand his ground, arguing that Kyun needed all the help he could get, but in the end found himself being shoved into the wardrobe with strict instructions to stay quiet and hidden. 

“Stay here,” Changkyun stressed. “No matter what happens. He’ll kill you in a second, so please just stay.” 

“But-”

“Please.” Hoseok could see those red irises burning right into his, and it was moments like these that he wondered if Changkyun had some sort of divine power over humans, that would explain his urge to do everything the kid wanted. 

He’d asked about it once, but Changkyun had shot it down.

_“If I had that ability I would have used it to stop you from ever finding out about me.”_

_“Do you regret it?” Hoseok had asked next, a little quieter._

_Kyun had looked at him, and smiled, “Not anymore.”_

Now, Hoseok stood in the darkness of the wardrobe, peeking through the tiny crack in the door as Changkyun began the process of summoning his father. 

There was an amulet in the middle of the salt pentagon that Kyun had drawn on the floor, and the empty shot glass sat on the desk from where he’d placed it moments before. Hoseok wasn’t sure if demons had a ‘don’t drink and summon’ rule but if it helped calm Kyun’s nerves, then so be it. 

When he grabbed the steak knife and pressed it to his palm, Hoseok wanted to flinch. “Relax, it’s just a scratch,” Kyun called out, as if knowing the man was uncomfortable, before he threw the knife back on the desk, a slither of red on the blade. He held his palm out over the pentagon, fist closed. “And remember, no matter what happens...stay there.” 

Changkyun opened his palm, and a drop of blood hit the amulet.

Then, there was no turning back.

* * *

Changkyun’s head felt heavy, and his whole body ached. The first thing that came to mind was confusion. What had happened?

“Kyunnie,” he could hear a voice above him, and a gentle tapping on his cheek. “Kyunnie.” 

He remembered summoning his father. He remembered the sneer Azus had given him upon appearing in their dorm room, voicing a greeting and a backhanded compliment at the same time. It had made his blood boil. But he stayed calm. He’d been handling their exchange well. 

Until…

_“I don’t think so,” Azus mused, a smirk spreading across his face._

_“What do you mean, ‘you don’t think so’ ?” Changkyun replied, narrowing his eyes. “This benefits both of us.”_

_Azus’s eyes were as dark as the realm he came from, with a glint of mischief. “While I’m partial to sparing your precious world, I’d much rather see you suffer, little one.”_

“Kyunnie,” that voice called again, and the weight in his eyelids felt less heavy. “Come on, wake up.” 

He then realised the tapping was a hand on his cheek, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Hoseok hovering above him, eyebrows creased in worry. 

The room was a mess. The desk was on its side, their belongings scattered across the floor, and a bloody handprint was on the wall. Changkyun could remember being thrown against it. 

“There you are,” Hoseok murmured in relief, and Changkyun’s gaze focused on him again. “You worried me, you bastard.” 

Changkyun had been wondering what on earth had happened after he blacked out, because his father was apparently gone and yet all he remembered was being thrown around like a rag doll. 

But then he noticed, that those eyes staring down at him, weren’t their usual deep brown. 

They were red.

“Hoseok?” he breathed, sitting up with wide, panicked eyes. 

“It’s okay,” the man smiled, placing comforting hands on his shoulders. “He’s gone. We’re okay.” 

Kyun’s heart was pounding, “But-what did he-” he reached for Hoseok’s face, and the man grabbed his hand instead. 

“It’s fine. I’m okay.” 

Hoseok’s red was mirrored in Kyun’s irises as he finally took a good look at his human friend, and his stomach dropped when he could see it properly - that he was no longer human.

_No._

Heavy dread was burrowing into his gut as the reality washed over him. His best friend - the only human he could trust...was now...

“You’re-you’re-” he couldn’t even say it. 

Changkyun was overwhelmed, yet Hoseok looked as calm as ever, giving his friend a warm smile. “Like you, yes.”

He couldn’t comprehend it, raising hands to his head. “I’m a monster.”

“You saved the world,” Hoseok reminded.

It was like the comment went straight over him, “I ruined your life!” 

“No, Kyunnie,” Hoseok tried to calm him, grabbing Changkyun’s hands and pulling them away from his face. “I chose this.”

Changkyun blinked. “You what?” 

_“He has a great deal of affection for you, doesn’t he…” Azus mused, eyeing off Hoseok. “Alright, I’ll let him stay. But not without a price.”_

“Why?” Changkyun was asking, as Hoseok held onto his hands, ignoring the drying blood on his palm. 

“For you, dummy,” he answered with a small smile. “He was going to take you back to hell and torture you, what was I supposed to do?” 

“Stay like I told you to,” Kyun mumbled.

“Well, I couldn’t,” Hoseok replied, “But it’s okay. Now you’re not alone. We’re in this together and we still have our home intact.” 

Changkyun cast his gaze down, and Hoseok squeezed his hands. 

After a moment, Kyun murmured. “How do you feel?” 

Hoseok thought for a second. “To be honest? Kind of like my insides are made of fire.” 

It was like Changkyun snapped then, his voice loud as he threw back, “That’s cause there’s nothing left you idiot, demons have no humanity!” 

Hoseok tilted his head ever so slightly. “Then why are you crying?” 

Changkyun hadn’t even noticed, but now he could feel the tears slowly rolling down his cheeks, as he stared back at those deep red eyes, that mirrored his own. 

“You were my humanity.” 


End file.
